What A Shame
by LightningsShadow118
Summary: "You're everything I've ever wanted to have, and to become. I love you, Chase, and I don't deny it for a second. So, Chase, I'm sorry that I love you. I'm sorry I couldn't be what you wanted me to be." Character death.


"What A Shame" by Shinedown

* * *

The breeze was tranquil as it spun and whispered along blazing red locks. Snow skittered along the gales like ice-skaters in the ballet of the frost. The sky itself was a deep, royal blue with the first stars of the evening peaking through. It was a truly breathtaking Christmas Eve night.

Jack Spicer stood at the edge of the cliff, half a mile high, gazing out at the vast expanse. He wasn't wearing his trench coat or goggles, oddly enough. Instead, he had on warm black trousers, a thick black sweater, and an ominously chosen white scarf his grandma had knitted for him. It matched his delicate skin, she had said.

There was flat, snowy ground at the cliff's base, which was neighbored by the iced-over lake. Spicer's eyes watched the ice, imagining a shadow of himself figure-skating with his favorite skates; the black ones with the blades colored pure and perfect red, just for his mom. Jack recalled how proud his mom had been when he'd landed his first triple. Man, that had felt so good to see her smiling so brightly at him.

_Two packs of cigarettes a day, the strongest whiskey Kentucky can make..._

Jack sucked in the smoke from his cigarette, and gingerly plucked it from his lips to blow into the breeze. _Those were the good days...._

Gliding could be heard in the distance, approaching quickly. Jack sighed, his solemn expression unchanging.

_That's a recipe, to put a vagabond on his hands and knees..._

Dojo landed quietly in the white, his four passengers hopping off. They faced Jack, sneering, and in their battle-ready stances. Jack didn't flinch.

"Alright, _Jack,_ the jig's up." Kimiko spat. "What did you invite us here for?"

Omi spoke up. "He probably wishes to make another snatch at our Shen-Gong-Wu! A most unwise decision!"

Complete silence.

"What's a matter, _Jack?_" Raimundo mocked. "Cat got your tongue? Or are you just too scared after being called out?"

Stillness.

Clay then noticed what the others failed to; something wasn't right with Jack. The southern monk tilted his hat up with a thumb. Jack hadn't budged once this whole time.

_I watched it all up close, I knew him more than most, I saw a side of him he never showed..._

"I... don't reckon Jack's here t' trick us."

The three looked at him quizzically.

The questions weren't voiced. At that moment, Wuya emerged from seemingly nowhere, and was also facing Jack.

"Spicer, what on Earth do you want? Stupid child...." the witch mumbled, and then noticed that Evil was not alone here.

"Oh, joy; the _monks_ have arrived. Well, Jack, it seems that whatever you wished to see me about will have to wait. Let me know when they're done crippling you." With that, she made to leave.

Omi's attention was caught. "Jack Spicer has requested to see _you too,_ Wuya?"

Wuya stopped, then spun on a heel. "Jack, explain yourself; now!!"

The albino only blew another waft of smoke from his cigarette.

_Full of sympathy, for a world that wouldn't let him be......_

"Okay Jack, be serious." The Portuguese monk crossed his arms. "What's going on?"

Then, the monks and Wuya shivered as they felt a powerful presence enter the scene. Dojo shrieked, minimized, and dove for cover in Clay's hat.

"Chase Young," Omi hissed and readied himself.

The lord sneered. "Don't flatter yourself, young one; I, too, was invited here on Spicer's request."

_... There's a hard life for every silver spoon, there's a touch of gray for every shade of blue..._

Jack felt his heart flutter when his Heylin hero spoke his name. Just as soon, though, his heart throbbed with a pained ache. He forced the tears back.

The lord's gaze turned to Wuya. "I see that even after all this, you _still_ cannot tell the truth." He turned back to Jack before she could attempt an explanation.

"Well, insect? Care to enlighten us of the occasion?"

_That's the way that I see life; if there was nothing wrong, then there'd be nothing right..._

A subtle flinch at the word 'insect'. But nothing more.

Wuya snarled. "Chase just asked you a _question,_ you idiot! Answer!!"

"Yeah, Jacky-boy," Kimiko purred. "Answer you number-one hero! He might just say your name for you without gagging!!"

The monks and Wuya launched into hysterical laughter. Chase merely frowned at her.

_And for this working man, they said could barely stand, there's gotta be a better place to land..._

Jack remained still at the cliffside.

Eventually, they all calmed down. Raimundo patted Kimiko's shoulder. "Oh wow, Kim, that was _bad._"

However, they all quieted down when they noticed how Jack _still_ hadn't said a single thing or moved since they had all arrived. Even Wuya couldn't deny that it was strange.

The hag sighed dramatically. "Oh, come now Jack; we're only having fun. No need to clam up and all."

"Yeah, Jack," Clay spoke softly. "We're only messin'. We don't mean nothin' by it."

"Speak for yourself," Kimiko scoffed, hands on hips. "You guys know it's true."

_Some kind of remedy, for a world that wouldn't let him be..._

"Kimiko!" Omi shouted. "You should not point out Jack Spicer's large smash on Chase Young! Not when Chase Young can hear you!"

Chase _looked_ at the monk, knowing full-well what the boy had meant to say.

Raimundo had to cover his mouth, though his snickering was obvious. "Ah, Omi... I think _you_ just blabbed about Jack's 'huge crush'; not Kimiko."

Omi was struck by it, and had the decency to blush. "Oh... ah... my badness."

Chase ignored Omi and glanced back up at Spicer. The young man remained silent, unmoving, though his head was ever-so-slightly hanging.

Chase tilted his head. Something here wasn't right...

"... Jack?"

_That's the man he was..._

Jack's head lifted and turned slightly. His voice was empty. "Yeah, Chase?"

Raimundo rolled his eyes. "Only answers to him. What a surprise, there."

Chase ignored it. "Why are we here, Jack?"

"Yes, Jack," Wuya's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Please _do_ tell us _why_ you're wasting our time out here."

Jack took a deep breath and, finally, turned around to face everyone. He paused, puffed his cigarette, as if trying to gather his thoughts.

But he wasn't; he knew exactly what he wanted to say.

"I invited you guys here because... well, two things actually. The first thing I wanted to do was wish you all a Merry Christmas.

"Seriously," he cut through the scoffs, "I know it's, like, _unheard of_ for _anyone_ in this war to wish _anything good_ upon _anyone,_" his eyes fixed on the monks as he spoke it. "But... that's why I'm saying it now. Merry Christmas, everyone."

He took the cigarette butt and flicked it over his shoulder.

A long pause.

_Have you heard enough?..._

Before Wuya howled with laughter.

"You're being _serious,_ aren't you!?" She spat, truly entertained. "_Amazing!_ To think I actually believed in your evil potential!! And here you are, summoning us for _good wishes!!_ I suppose you want us to join you in a holiday feast as well!?! Pathetic!!"

_What a shame, what a shame, to judge a life that you can't change..._

The monks said nothing, though their smirks said that they agreed.

"Thank you, Spicer."

Everyone abruptly turned to Chase.

He nodded to the albino respectfully. "The sentiment, while trivial, is appreciated."

Jack couldn't help wincing, but gave his idol a warm, honest smile through the frigid air. "You're... you're welcome, Chase."

Jack hadn't expected Chase to be courteous. Tears of happiness welled up, but he still didn't let them come. Not yet.

"The reason I'm saying it now though, is because I'm gonna be–" Jack choked, but cleared his throat. "Well, I won't be here on Christmas, and I wanted to say it before I left.

_The choir sings, the church bells ring, so won't you give this man his wings?..._

"That being said, the other reason I asked you guys to come out was because I.... I have a present for all of you."

Eyebrows raised at that.

Omi eyed the genius. "A 'present', Jack Spicer? Is this another attempt to fool us?"

Jack smiled and shook his head without retort. "No tricks, Omi. Actually, I think this'll help you. I think it'll help all of you."

Wuya rolled her eyes. "If it's one of your mechanical toys–"

"It's not a robot, either," Jack finished without force.

"It isn't wise to aid an enemy, Spicer, even if it is Christmas Eve," Chase said.

Jack's smile faltered; cracked under a hidden emotion.

"I know, Chase, but... I think you all deserve this. Just like I deserve it."

Jack choked on his words again, but smiled through it.

He turned to Wuya. "Wuya, I'm sorry I couldn't win every single Xiaolin Showdown, or get to every single Shen-Gong-Wu in time, or build any robots that could actually stay together." He frowned at the ground. "You were better off without me, really."

Wuya blinked, a bit stunned.

He then turned to Omi, Clay, Kimiko, and Raimundo. "Omi, I'm sorry I always called you Cheese ball; it was cheesy, and a cheap shot. Kimiko, I'm sorry I kidnapped you that one time, and then had the balls to flirt with you; it was immature, and I'm not attracted to girls anyway. Raimundo, I'm sorry you didn't get to beat the crap out of me over the Ying Yo-yo; I know you really wanted to do it, but the vomit couldn't wait. Clay, I'm sorry I yacked in your hat; I know it must still slightly reek."

They all were very shocked by this. Jack never apologized, and definitely not over things like that...

Lastly, Spicer faced Chase Young. He seemed to hesitate. "Chase, I–.... I'm sorry I can't get over how awesome you are; as a warrior, dragon, and an all-around powerful Heylin Emperor. You've always been what kept me coming to every showdown, even when my genius told me to quit while I could."

He sniffed back more tears. "You're everything I've ever wanted to have, and to become. I love you, Chase, and I don't deny it for a second. So, Chase, I'm sorry that I love you. I'm sorry I couldn't be what you wanted me to be."

_What a shame, to have to beg you to see, we're not all the same..._

Chase watched as the youth inched closer and closer to the cliff's edge.

"Jack..."

Spicer chuckled, and blinked. Tears rolled down his face and glistened like spiders' silk.

"Merry Christmas, everybody!!"

And then he jumped.

Jack spread his arms as the ground flew out from underneath. The snow's white and the cliff's brown blurred together. That blue sky ran farther and farther away. He smiled as his stomach did petty flips, and finally let the tears fall with him. He looked down at the rushing Earth, and closed his eyes.

"I love you, Cha—"

_**Crunch.**_

Crimson flew from his body. Shards of bone and ripped tissue exploded like sick fireworks into the snow. The fatal ring reached at least ten feet around. His head, the first to collide, was all but obliterated.

Jack Spicer, Evil Boy Genius, albino goth, and the greatest technological mind the world had ever known, wasn't there on Christmas day.

And only one person mourned his death.

_What a shame....._

**THE END**


End file.
